The Affordable Care Act - Stronger Benefits to Seniors, Billions in Savings This Year

Two years ago, President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. The President's health care law gives hard working, middle-class families security, makes Medicare stronger, and puts more money back in seniors' pockets.

Prior to 2011, people on Medicare faced paying for preventive benefits like cancer screenings and cholesterol checks out of their own pockets. Now, these benefits are offered free of charge to beneficiaries.

Over time, the health reform law also closes the gap in prescription drug coverage, known as the "donut hole." This helps seniors like Helen Rayon: "I am a grandmother who is trying to assist a grandson with his education. I take seven different medications. Getting the donut hole closed, that gives me a little more money in my pocket."

In 2010, those who hit the donut hole received a $250 rebate - with almost 4 million seniors and people with disabilities receiving a collective $1 billion. In 2011, people on Medicare automatically received a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs in the donut hole. Over 3.6 million beneficiaries received more than $2.1 billion in savings - averaging $604 per person last year.

6. My opinion is that we will end up with a 2 tier system.

The single payer/provider will provide basic coverage for everyone, but those who want to buy more can do that privately. They might buy a policy that covers things Medicare doesn't (private rooms, cosmetic procedures, certain medications) and I suspect that there would still be co-pays and deductibles that a secondary policy could cover.

7. Isn't this just another version of the public option?

8. The public option model would allow you to pick between the federally funded

plan and a private plan. I am thinking it is more likely that everyone would participate in the federal plan (Medicare for All) but you could also purchase additional coverage for things it did not cover.

9. This is like what several European countries do. Some people need and buy extra dental

coverage, for instance.

What some European countries do is have single payer but allow non-profit private organizations to compete for the tax health care dollars. The catch is NON-PROFIT only, by law. So that gives people choices but still cuts out the profit motive of greedy insurance companies. It seems to work well in places like Switzerland and the Netherlands. And I think they have a few for profit companies that offer the "extras" insurance as you referenced (not basic health care).